Chapter 1

As the sun rose, a white-headed, blue-bodied fairy bird chirped and leaped among the green leaves, darting through the foliage. This bird, with its blue feathers and white crest, was known as a fairy bird, a rare and highly intelligent creature that could understand human intentions and emotions.

Inside the dilapidated Taoist temple, a young and refined Taoist priest chuckled softly, raised his hand, and the bird immediately spread its wings and flew to land on his hand.

This young man, with a clear and serene appearance, was dressed in Taoist robes and looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. He had a delicate and scholarly appearance, yet he did not appear weak.

The young Taoist was named Qin Xianyu, the only disciple and abbot of this temple. The Qin family was a renowned medical lineage, with generations of doctors. Qin's father, busy saving lives, had little time to teach him medical knowledge and herbal identification. Fortunately, the old abbot of this nameless temple, who was well-versed in medicine and a close friend of the old patriarch, took Qin's father's young son under his wing.

Qin Xianyu followed the old abbot for several years, during which the abbot taught him how to identify herbs, understand their medicinal properties, and pass on effective remedies. When he had spare time, the abbot would have Qin Xianyu read Taoist classics and study the Daozang. In the end, Qin Xianyu's understanding of Taoist classics was as deep as his knowledge of medical texts.

According to the old abbot, medical books and Taoist texts had some commonalities, such as the theory of meridians and acupoints, and similar terminology. Studying Taoist texts could help in understanding medicine.

Two years ago, Qin's parents both fell ill and died on the same day. The old abbot also contracted the same illness and soon passed away.

From then on, the Qin family, a renowned medical lineage, fell into obscurity, especially after the famous doctor himself died of the illness. The title "miracle doctor" became a target for many jealous doctors and those who had conflicts with the Qin family to criticize.

Qin Xianyu, still young, was no longer trusted for his medical skills, and even less so for a young boy. The family's pharmacy had been taken over by relatives, leaving him only with the fairy bird his mother had given him.

Fortunately, the bird could understand human intentions and communicate, so Qin Xianyu did not feel lonely. With his skills in identifying herbs, the young man lived a relatively carefree life. Sometimes, he would dig up a single herb, exchange it for silver, and have enough to live on for several days.

Today, however, was another day without food.

Qin Xianyu picked up his small medicine basket, placed the small hoe outside the door, turned to close the door, and then bent down to pick up the hoe, heading towards the forest south of the temple. The young Taoist waved his hand, and the fairy bird, which had just flown back to the tree, chirped and landed on his shoulder.

As he approached Yinghuang Mountain, Qin Xianyu's expression became serious. He raised his hand and said softly, "Go, and if anything happens, send me a message immediately."

The fairy bird gently touched his neck and then flew up into the sky.

Yinghuang Mountain was a large mountain with dense vegetation and few human visitors. It was home to many fierce birds and beasts, and even hunters dared not venture deep into the mountain. The temple where Qin Xianyu lived was at the foot of Yinghuang Mountain.

The young Taoist took a deep breath, feeling the fresh air of the mountain, which cleared his mind. He carried the hoe and walked forward. The herbs in this area were almost all dug up, so he had to go further. However, with many fierce beasts in the deep mountains, he dared not venture too far, so he collected herbs around the mountain.

Even in the outer areas, it was not entirely safe. Although the fierce birds and beasts rarely came out of the mountain, there were exceptions. For example, last year, a large eagle, as tall as a person, almost carried away the fairy bird. When it failed to catch the bird, it saw Qin Xianyu and almost captured him.

Sometimes, wild boars would also come out, which were much more ferocious than domestic pigs.

"Last time, I collected four silver yuan grasses, which can treat rheumatic pain and are very effective. Each plant is worth about seventy silver coins. However, since I only collect herbs and do not have a shop, I cannot sell them directly. People do not trust a young man like me, so when I sold them to the city pharmacy, I only got ten silver coins per plant." Qin Xianyu thought to himself, "The four silver yuan grasses earned me forty silver coins, enough to buy half a bag of rice, which lasted for more than ten days. I remember that about seventy steps behind the silver yuan grasses, there were two black light grasses."

"Black light grass can treat external injuries and make effective medicine. It is likely to be more expensive. A regular pharmacy can sell it for ninety silver coins per plant. If I sell it to the pharmacy, I might get twelve or thirteen silver coins per plant."

The old Taoist taught him to leave the roots when collecting herbs and not to be greedy. Herbs take time to grow, and if the roots are damaged, the species will be lost. If the roots are left, they can sprout and grow again. Greed is useless.

The Qin family used to run a pharmacy, and each time he collected herbs, he could estimate their value. When he felt it was enough, he would stop.

Black light grass is as black as ink and grows under trees, not very noticeable, often mistaken for debris. When ground into powder and applied to wounds, it can stop bleeding, similar to using ash or charcoal, but black light grass is more beneficial and can speed up wound healing.

"Is it blooming?" Qin Xianyu approached the black light grass and was pleased to see it in bloom. "In just a few days, it has bloomed. If I wait another ten days, these flowers will fall, become seeds, and grow into six or seven black light grasses."

He walked around the two black light grasses, glad that he had not dug them up last time.

Qin Xianyu moved to another area and found about twenty herbs, which, although only worth a few silver coins each, were numerous. These herbs were common and affordable for poor families.

He squatted down, used the small hoe to dig around the herbs, and when he was almost done, he put down the hoe to avoid damaging the roots and used his hands to clear the soil. He gently pulled out the herbs, broke the roots, and placed them in a shallow pit, then covered them with soil.

"These herbs are common and grow quickly. The half-root will sprout in about half a month."

Qin Xianyu continued digging, and after collecting about twenty herbs, he thought about digging another type. He took a few steps forward and suddenly stopped, seeing a green vine climbing up a tree.

He had never seen this green vine before, but he had heard of it.

Qin Xianyu had learned medical theory and herb identification from the old Taoist since childhood, but his father rarely taught him. He remembered the first time his father taught him to identify herbs, and the book showed this green vine.

The green vine was called Immortal Grass, a highly toxic plant.

A Taoist once used it to refine elixirs, but died immediately after ingesting it. His followers were very sad and believed he had ascended to heaven after death, so they called it Immortal Grass, meaning that one would ascend to heaven after ingesting it, but it was actually a deadly poison.

The antidote was the moss on the tree where the green vine grew.

Qin Xianyu looked at it silently, feeling a bit depressed. After a long time, he walked to the other side.

This young Taoist, skilled in identifying herbs, often made a living by collecting them and spent his free time reading medical and Taoist texts, especially stories about immortals, which he was particularly fascinated by. He had a calm and peaceful disposition and no grand ambitions. If there was any regret in his heart, it was the illness of his parents and his master.

This illness had never been recorded in medical texts. Even after reading many books and borrowing others, he could not find any records of such an illness. Sometimes, he wondered if it was an unknown disease, but why did only his three elders fall ill?

Although he did not want to think about it, the thoughts still crossed his mind.

Poisoned?

But who poisoned them, and what kind of poison?

Even if he knew who did it, what could he do?

He was just a young man, with no power or connections. How could he investigate? Even if he found out, he did not know martial arts and had no connections with martial artists. How could he take revenge?

The young man had no idea where to start and could only keep these thoughts in his heart.

He usually made a living by collecting herbs and reading books, and he managed to live a carefree life by suppressing other thoughts. Occasionally, he would think about the marriage contract.

Since his parents died, he had not seen anyone from the other family. He had never cared about it because he had never seen the girl, and he did not know what she looked like or whether she was beautiful or ugly, round or flat.

He vaguely remembered that her surname was Shangguan.

Qin Xianyu had long considered the marriage contract meaningless. If the other party did not come, it would be fine; if they did, he would destroy the contract in front of them to free the girl from the marriage.

Breaking the marriage contract would make everyone happy.

Qin Xianyu chuckled softly.

He realized he had walked for a long time and had reached an area he had never been to before. Fortunately, it was still the outer area of Yinghuang Mountain, and he could see some traps and marks left by hunters. Although he did not recognize the path, he was not afraid because he had the fairy bird.

He noticed a herb in front of him, about as valuable as silver yuan grass, and felt a bit pleased. He dug it up and covered the soil. Thinking that he had enough for the day, he decided to go back. He raised his hand, and the fairy bird, which was circling in the sky, chirped and flew down happily.

Suddenly, the fairy bird let out a sharp, long cry.

Qin Xianyu was startled and saw the white-headed, blue-bodied fairy bird tremble in the air and then fall.

Although he could not see clearly, he knew the bird had been hit by a stone.

He was shocked and rushed to where the bird had fallen.

As he took a step, he felt a pain in his back.

Qin Xianyu stumbled and fell to the ground.

He was about to get up.

The foot that had kicked him down stepped on his back, pinning him to the ground.

A proud voice said, "Herb collector?"

The voice was young, probably no more than twenty.

As Qin Xianyu thought this, a bright light appeared in front of his eyes, resting on his neck.

It was the tip of a sword.

Qin Xianyu held his breath.

"Do you know how to decoct herbs and control the heat?"

The proud voice slowly said.

Qin Xianyu frowned, and the pain in his back intensified.

When he did not answer, the voice hummed, and the sword tip pressed closer to his neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

Qin Xianyu nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and asked, "How is my fairy bird?"

"It was hit by a stone and is surely dead."

The voice said calmly and gestured to the forest.

Four or five young men, dressed in fine clothes and wearing swords, walked out of the forest.

"Get up and decoct the herbs."

The man moved the sword from Qin Xianyu's neck.

Qin Xianyu could see his face reflected in the clear, bright blade.

His black eyes reflected the coldness that had flashed in his eyes.

The young Taoist clenched his teeth.

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